BY THE BOOK: CODE Burt Prize Kenya 2018 winner Muthoni Wa Gichuru

Muthoni wa Gichuru is a Kenyan author who has written a number of children’s books and published young adult fictional titles. PHOTO| COURTESY

What you need to know:

  • The Carving is a story that was inspired by the realisation that there are very few stories written with characters who live with disability.
  • I have been writing children’s and young adults’ books for a while now and it has become somewhat easier.
  • The challenges I face is deciding on the theme that will resonate with young adults, crafting a story that will be a pager turner so that the audience does not get bored.

Muthoni wa Gichuru, a Kenyan author who writes books for children and young adults, was declared the winner of the CODE Burt Prize for African Young Adult Literature Kenya 2018 at a ceremony at the Crowne Plaza, Nairobi on September 28, 2018.

The prestigious literary prize focuses on acknowledging creative writing in the overlooked genre of young adult fiction.

Besides the winning book, The Carving, she is also the author of the Zawadi series, Breaking the Silence , The Hidden Package and short stories published in Fresh Paint Volume 2 (2015) and Moonscapes(2016).

She shares with Life&Style her passion for writing for a young audience, challenges faced and future plans for her writing career.

Congratulations on winning the CODE Burt Prize for African Young Adult Literature Kenya 2018, did you see it coming? How did it feel when the announcement was made?

Thank you. Did I see it coming? Yes, I had this feeling that I might win because I loved the story I had written. However, I was shortlisted with some of the best writers in Kenya; Elizabeth Kabue who won the prize in 2014, Charles Okoth who took third prize in 2015 and Kinyanjui Kombani who had just won the Regional CODE Burt Prize for African Young Adult Literature. I knew the prize could go to either of the finalists.

During the announcement, I was a bit impatient because the announcer kept delaying the moment, hesitating, dropping the paper the winner was written on. I dropped my pen and as I bent to pick it, I heard my name being called out. I was stunned for a moment before jumping up to my feet.

The feeling of accomplishment, of being on top, was overwhelming.

Tell us a little bit about the winning book, The Carving, what is the story about and what inspired it?

This is a story about boy who is lame in one leg. He is raised by his mother and grandfather because his father left them. He gets bullied in school and his mother gets sick and he has to drop out of school to work in a quarry but a caring teacher intervenes. The boy goes back to school and participates in an art competition and wins which changes his life.

The story was inspired by the realisation that there are very few stories written with characters who live with disability and yet we have such people in our families and society.

You have featured in other prestigious prizes such the Commonwealth Short Story Prize Shortlist and the Miles Morland Scholarship Shortlist; what would you say is the impact of literary prizes and nominations to a writer’s career?

Literary prizes give a writer a feeling of being validated, that what you are doing is worthwhile. It also brings recognition and with recognition comes opportunities. I first got shortlisted in 2003 for the Macmillan Writers Prize for Africa and because of that it was easy for me to become a published writer.

What does it take to be an award-winning writer?

Hard work. I wrote ten thousand words in one day when I was writing The carving. My publisher called me on a Friday when I had just began writing the story. I had two weeks to write and I wanted my story to be at least 30 000 words. So I sat down from seven in the morning to seven in the evening only taking a few moments in between to rest. At the end, I thought perhaps I had just wasted a day writing rubbish but when I later read it I thought it was actually good.

Some say that writing for children and young adults is very difficult in terms of conveying the story in the easiest way possible for them to understand. Do you share these sentiments? What are some of the challenges faced when writing for this particular audience?

I do agree that writing for children is hard as you have to bring yourself to their level. Writing for any audience requires hard work and so does anything worth doing.

I have been writing children’s and young adults’ books for a while now and it has become somewhat easier. The challenges I face is deciding on the theme that will resonate with young adults, crafting a story that will be a pager turner so that the audience does not get bored. Making the reader want to read, turn the page to know what happens next.

Besides the awards and the fulfilment of seeing the story idea materialise into a tangible book, what have been the other joys of writing?

Seeing my name in print still gives me a thrill and I guess it always will. Passing on a message, sharing my thoughts is a privilege that I don’t take for granted. I always feel blessed that I was given this gift to tell stories and connect with people.

What words of advice do you have for any aspiring writers who wish to get into writing, specifically for children and young adults?

For any writer I always say read voraciously. If you want to write for children, then read what other writers have written then develop your own style. Sit down and write even when you don’t feel like it. The more you write the easier it becomes.

When it comes to choosing an editor and also a publisher, what are the key considerations to bear in mind?

I like working with and editor with whom I have a rapport. I also want an editor who is competent because it will reflect on the final product. My husband, Joseph Ndirangu is usually the first person who edits my work and by the time I send a manuscript to an editor it is almost print ready.

I choose a publisher based on the willingness to publish my books as soon as possible if they find it good. Some publishers take even ten years to publish a book.

As information world over takes on multimedia format, most old media such as books are being made into films, musicals and even learning apps. If you were to have two of your books made into a children’s movie or a learning app, which ones would they be and why?

The Hidden package is quite a thriller and so is the Zawadi series- a series of three books that tell what happens in the life of a child of ten to fourteen years on a typical day.

What do you have in store for your readers in the near future?

I am working on a novel and I am also writing short stories. I was a finalist for the Africa Book Club Competition 2018 and the story, In the name of the Father, will be published in an anthology this month.